Mogomotsi Mogodiri
Pretoria - There might not have been chairs flying, but emotions, frustration with logistics, and an almost two-day delay characterised the MK All-Inclusive Conference (AIC) that was held at the East London International Convention Centre (ICC) recently.
It was chaotic, as delegates, some elderly and fragile, were made to wait in the cold for transport that was not ideal for long travel, only to arrive to hostility and disrespect at the conference venue.
Accommodation was also not properly arranged, with no transportation between it and the ICC. As if this incompetence was not enough, delegates did not have sight of the conference documents, including the supposed interim constitution, until they were at the conference.
To top it all, an illegality was enforced by the Preparatory Committee in demanding that delegates either produce a valid vaccination certificate or be subjected to a Covid-19 test on-site for them to be allowed to participate in the conference.
This decision was a flagrant violation of the members’ rights on various scores.
Rule 5 of the ANC constitution dealing with Rights and Duties of members provides for a “member to take a full and active part in the discussion, formulation and implementation of the policies of the ANC; and take part in elections and be elected or appointed to any committee, structure, commission or delegation of the ANC”.
Furthermore, Chapter Two of our country’s Constitution, which refers to the Bill of Rights, states: “a citizen is free to make political choices, which includes the right to participate in the activities of, or recruit members for, a political party”.
Section 12 of the Constitution provides that “everyone has the right to bodily and psychological integrity, which includes the right to make decisions concerning reproduction; to security in and control over their body; and not to be subjected to medical or scientific experiments without their informed consent”.
The Conference Preparatory Committee, therefore, stands correctly accused of serious violations of the ANC’s and country’s constitutions – a misdemeanour that cannot be taken lightly.
It needs to be nipped in the bud to ensure that these violations do not become the new normal during the upcoming conferences, as this might be used for factional purposes.
This then brings me to the purpose of the conference, and whether it achieved its objectives or not.
Having taken a keen interest in the conference as an ex-combatant, I participated in some of the discussions leading up to it, and followed the conference itself.
I have also read the Conference Handover Report. Its title places a huge responsibility on the Preparatory Committee and Department of Military Veterans (DMV) officials to provide a full and complete account of the assignment (All-Inclusive Conference).
Therefore, the report needs to take us on the actual journey from its genesis up to the end of the “all-inclusive” conference, and then project into the future. It is, and should be, thorough and not superficial and pedestrian.
It is amiss that the report, and by extension, the conference, for inexplicable reasons, adopted a superficial approach to this historic moment and/or got involved in a conspiracy of omissions.
It presents what the author(s) want us to hear: a cursory and mainly glossy picture that papers over or completely ignores the less-flowery parts that were, unfortunately, the defining moments of that conference.
This includes the shambles leading up to and during the conference and the walkout, and what it means for the elusive unity within and across MK veterans’ ranks.
It is common cause that the route to the said conference was littered with shambles, including postponements and bitter disagreements on the content and character of the conference. This worrying aspect is not mentioned or at least acknowledged for lessons to be learnt.
Is this omission deliberate, as highlighting it would point directly to incompetence? Be that as it may, the DMV officials oversaw and even abetted and assisted in fruitless and wasteful expenditure of worrying proportions. The “sunshine” might just be a cover- up for DMV officials to evade accountability.
The forced/mandatory Covid-19 testing and/or unlawful demand for vaccination certificates is another worrying matter that deserves attention in the report and how they account for this constitutional delinquency.
Due to these shambles that necessitated endless delays before the conference could commence in earnest, significant conference time was unnecessarily lost.
Conference documents were also not made available timeously for the entire MK community to engage with, to ensure that delegates were sufficiently mandated. This contributed to the quality and depth of discussions invariably being compromised.
There was also the not-so-insignificant matter of a walkout, rightly or wrongly, depending on which side of the ANC factional divide you irrationally stand.
Unfortunately, the report makes no mention of it, disappointingly but not surprisingly failing to provide guidance on how those ex-combatants, including others who were not in attendance but agree with them, will be engaged to achieve the elusive unity within and across MK ranks.
It is foolhardy for those who remained at the conference and others to behave like an ostrich by burying their heads in the sand.
That fracture cannot, and should not, be wished away as it is going to continuously haunt ex-combatants, no matter how strenuously this ugly reality is denied.
In short, the conference failed in its duty or was derelict as it should have pronounced on the unfortunate walkout, as the mere act is emblematic of disunity, “numbers” notwithstanding.
Regarding content, two issues spring to mind: a significant part of the resolutions looks like a shopping or wish list.
It is trite that the South African state is depressingly bankrupt, and to adopt a resolution that says that the National Treasury must allocate funds to a long list of programmes/projects without prioritising them is a guaranteed recipe for more frustration and despair.
It unnecessarily raises expectations of mainly desperate and destitute ex-combatants.
What of an unfunded mandate saddled on already financially unstable or unviable municipalities? This is another source of frustration and conflict.
Without having the benefit of the entirety of the “interim constitution” and the discussions at the conference, one can safely surmise that what is contained in the report does not inspire confidence as it does not sufficiently talk to the real issues confronting the MK community.
The efforts to keep that draft constitution under wraps and impose it at the conference has dealt it a fatal blow as it woefully lacks legitimacy. The election or selection of leadership is another sore point that will lead to further friction and even fracture, with sections of the MK community questioning its standing.
What wisdom is there in us going to the conference and not, at the very least, appoint an interim committee to lead the project of unity and attend to the welfare of ex-combatants?
Worse still, you simply draw up a shopping list and leave it to an individual or faceless individuals or committee to determine who ultimately sits on that committee. It is naive at best, and disingenuous at worst, to think that the list will not be looked at through factional prisms.
It is going to be a long and rocky road, including contending with the threatened legal bid to nullify the conference and its decisions.
It is not only sad, but suicidal, that ex-combatants, once more and to our own detriment, lost a golden opportunity to be the architects of our collective destiny.
Assessed against those terms of reference, it is safe to state that the conference failed in the main to achieve its objectives. Therefore, we need to seriously introspect with the view to achieving real unity for our own development and welfare. Unfortunately, time is not on our side!
Pretoria News